Vegan Mediterranean Pasta! It’s a light and refreshing pasta dish made with angel hair pasta, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes. It's all tossed with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and vegan parmesan cheese for a simple vegan meal made in under 20 minutes!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bari Olive Oil Co. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have a total soft spot for certain recipes and this dish is one of them.
This vegan pasta is not only one of the first recipes I shared when I started this blog but it is one of the first meals I ever made and mastered when I transitioned to a vegan diet in 2006. Whenever I make this, it brings me right back to those early days.
Now I love to share this recipe with my own family and friends.
It’s elegant and delicious with bright and bold Mediterranean flavors. And yet, this vegan pasta is super simple to make. It can be made in under 30 minutes for the perfect easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Because this vegan pasta recipe features such versatile flavors, you can adapt it to suit your own personal preferences. The options are endless.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
Pasta – You can use any type of pasta you prefer. You can use longer noodles, like spaghetti or linguine, bow tie, or penne pasta. Just pay attention to the cook times on the pasta. You want to cook the pasta you use al dente. Feel free to substitute gluten-free pasta for this recipe as well.
Olive Oil- For this recipe you need high-quality olive oil. I recommend Bari's Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Cherry Tomatoes - You could also use chopped Roma or vine tomatoes if that's what you have on hand.
Artichoke Hearts - I recommend canned artichoke hearts. However, if you have fresh artichokes on hand, feel free to use them.
Kalamata Olives - You can substitute this for black olives or omit them altogether.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes - This is to give the pasta a deeper tomato flavor while adding a nice texture. Look for dried tomatoes rather than oil packed.
Pine Nuts- Omit for a nut free version.
Spices - You will need red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. If you want to avoid spice, you can omit the red pepper flakes.
Vegan parmesan (optional) - I recommend Violife parmesan. It is creamy, melty, and tastes exactly how I remember parmesan to taste. If you don’t have access to Violife, you can make your own parmesan.
My Go-To Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Because this pasta highlights the flavors of the Mediterranean, you have to choose the best quality olive oil for this recipe. For that reason, when choosing an olive oil to provide the foundation of this dish, I turn to Bari Olive Oil Co.
Bari Olive Oil Co. is a California-based company that has been making high-quality olive oil for over 80 years. They are a family run company that is dedicated to producing the highest-quality products available. All their olives are grown in California, supporting local growers and organic small-batch processing, ensuring that their promise of high-quality is never compromised.
Over the years Bari’s olive oils have won many awards. Throughout competitions in California, Bari Olive Oil Co. continues to come out on top with their premium olive oils, making them widely known as one of California’s oldest and finest producers of olive oil.
Bari’s products are found throughout stores in California. But, fear not all you non-California dwelling readers. You can find all their incredible products online, too. So, go ahead and do a little shopping and fill your cupboards with these beautiful, high-quality oils and vinegar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One - Cook the Pasta
In a large pot, bring two quarts of water to a rapid boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add one teaspoon of salt and the pasta noodles.
Cook the pasta, uncovered for 7-9 minutes or until the pasta is al dente or firm but cooked.
Pro Tip: Cook the pasta to al dente to avoid mushy pasta. Cooking times will vary depending on the type of pasta you use. Make sure to follow the box’s instructions for cooking times.
Carefully remove the boiling pot from the heat. Place a colander into your sink and carefully pour the hot water and noodles into it. Using tongs, toss the pasta with one tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the pasta until the olive oil evenly coats the pasta.
Step Two - Sauté the Veggies
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the tomatoes and garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break down. The skin on the tomatoes will start to pull back when they are ready.
Once the tomatoes start to soften, stir in the artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Cook the veggies for one more minute. This is just enough time to heat the veggies through and slightly toast the pine nuts. Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the saute pan. Toss it all together gently.
Step Three - Garnish and Serve
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh basil.
Season with a small amount of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and vegan parmesan (if you are using it). When you season the pasta, start with a small amount. Before adding more, taste the pasta and add more seasonings if you want.
Serve the pasta immediately in bowls or plates.
Serving and Storing
Serving - The pasta is best served fresh and hot from the skillet. I like to serve it with a side of bread or breadsticks. You could serve it with roasted or steamed vegetables or a big Caesar salad.
Storing - Store leftover pasta in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Before storing, allow the pasta to cool completely. Use tongs or a large spoon to fill either a large sealable container or individual containers (perfect for lunches). Seal the container(s) and place in the fridge.
Reheating - To reheat, you can cover and place in the microwave until the noodles and veggies warm through. You could also toss it in a skillet with a little bit of extra olive oil over medium-low heat until the veggies are warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Use your preferred pasta - any will work! I updated this recipe with thin spaghetti noodles but I have also used bow tie, rotini, and fusilli pasta.
- Cook the pasta to al dente to avoid mushy pasta. If you use thicker or thinner noodles, I recommend following the box’s instructions to cook the pasta al dente. Cook times can range from 5 to 6 minutes to 12 or more depending on the variety.
- Use pitted olives for extra ease. Kalamata olives are sold in many varieties from pitted and halved to having additional seasonings. For ease of making the recipe, choose olives that come pitted and halved already so all you have to do is drain them and add them to the pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use regular spaghetti noodles to make the recipe. But you can easily substitute in your favorite gluten free pasta. Just following the cooking times for al dente noodles on the package. They are often very similar.
Most packaged brands of pasta are vegan but it's always a good idea to check the ingredients for eggs. Fresh pasta more often contains eggs.
Yes, you can use fresh artichokes if you prefer. But canned varieties are faster and often easier to work with. To substitute fresh artichokes, steam or boil them until tender before chopping them into bite-sized pieces.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- One-Pot Truffle Pasta w/ Pistachio Cream Sauce
- Vegan Lemon Pasta with Cashew Cream Sauce
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta (vegan!)
- Creamy Hemp Alfredo Pasta
- Vegan Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Mediterranean Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1 ½ tsp. salt, divided
- 3 tbsp. Bari Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 14oz can artichoke hearts, quartered
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ¼ cup packed sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup basil chopped
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- pepper, to taste
- vegan parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and pasta noodles. Cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, strain through a colander. Immediately toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-low. Add garlic and tomatoes sauté for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break down. Stir in artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Cook for one more minute until the vegetables are heated through and pine nuts are slightly browned. Stir in the cooked pasta.
- Remove from heat and add lemon juice, the remaining one tablespoon olive oil, and fresh basil. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and vegan parmesan, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use your preferred pasta. Any will work! I updated this recipe with thin spaghetti noodles but I have also used bow tie, rotini, and fusilli pasta.
- Cook the pasta to al dente to avoid mushy pasta. If you use thicker or thinner noodles, I recommend following the box’s instructions to cook the pasta al dente. Cook times can range from 5 to 6 minutes to 12 or more depending on the variety.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Moe says
Throughly enjoy this fish and very easy to prepare. Thanks for sharing.
Caitlin says
i love your updated photos from one of your first recipes. it looks delicious. it's so weird to look back on old posts...embarrassing and like it's someone else or something.
Annie says
Beautiful, Sarah! I think most of us have similar early blogging experiences. Sometimes I think I should go back and delete the first...couple of years of posts - but on the other hand, it makes me happy to see my progress.
Sarah says
Yeah, I know that's true. I've actually made the mistake of deleting some posts that I thought were just terrible, but I still get the occasional email:
"where did so-and-so recipe go? I loved it and I can't seem to find it anywhere!"
So I stopped doing that. 🙂